Expediting stunting reduction measures is the government’s priority program to develop national human resources, Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD affirmed.
“The vision of Golden Indonesia 2045 can be achieved if Indonesia’s human resources excel in global competition. The 2045 vision is official, as it is regulated in two regulations enacted in 2010 and 2016. In 2045, Indonesia will achieve the status of an advanced country,” Mahfud stated during the Family, Population, and Family Planning Programme and Stunting Reduction Acceleration Study Meeting here, Thursday.
He said the current national stunting prevalence rate is still at 24.4 percent, which is above the threshold set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) also designated the acceleration of stunting reduction efforts as a priority programme that should be implemented thoroughly till the lowest strata of society, the coordinating minister noted.
Mahfud said that Indonesia is expected to become an advanced country by 2045 and become one of the major global economies.
To achieve the goal of an advanced country, Indonesia’s human resources must not be physically weak due to stunting.
“If we do not address this issue properly, Indonesia could not become an advanced country,” Mahfud cautioned.
Through Presidential Regulation No. 72 of 2021 on the stunting prevention regulation, the coordinating minister expressed optimism that the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) would adhere to the coordination, harmonization, and cross-sector integration measures to achieve the national target.
He also instructed government ministries and institutions to reiterate the joint commitment to reduce stunting prevalence by three percent annually to reduce the rate of stunting to 14 percent by 2024.
“To ensure the programme has a positive impact and accountable budget use, ‘money follows function’ approach must no longer be employed, and the current approach should be ‘money follows programme’ and the programme must follow impact or result,” Mahfud emphasized.
Source: Antara News